Start Page-News & Events-Urban mobility innovations arrive in Rottweil: thyssenkrupp will soon begin R&D work at its test tower in the city

Urban mobility innovations arrive in Rottweil: thyssenkrupp will soon begin R&D work at its test tower in the city

11/07/2016

Research and Development will start at the test tower in December of this year

thyssenkrupp, the City of Rottweil and event agency trend factory are organizing the main inauguration to coincide with the Year of Towers in 2017

The 246-meter elevator test tower currently under construction in Rottweil is scheduled to be handed over from the general contractor Züblin to thyssenkrupp in December of this year. After the handover, thyssenkrupp will commence its R&D processes at the tower, placing Rottweil firmly on the map as an innovation hub for urban mobility solutions.

„With this test tower and our technology park in Neuhausen, thyssenkrupp has consolidated one of the most modern research centers for elevator technology in the region,“ says Andreas Schierenbeck, CEO of thyssenkrupp Elevator. „From December onwards, we will develop solutions here to serve the mobility needs of cities across the world, helping to make them the best ever places to live.“

Innovative elevator technologies which will soon be tested at the tower include the MULTI. This system will be powered by maglev technology from the Transrapid train, which provides several advantages: The rope-less design means multiple cabs can be operated in one elevator shaft, thereby increasing shaft transportation capacity by up to 50 percent while reducing the elevator footprint in a building by half. In addition, the cabs can move both sideways and vertically without height limitations, opening up completely new applications and design possibilities. Three of the twelve shafts in the new tower are reserved for testing the new MULTI system.

Planning for the official inauguration of the tower is also well underway. thyssenkrupp, together with the City of Rottweil and the event agency trend factory, which was successful in a competitive bid for the project, are working on the opening ceremony which will coincide with Rottweil’s celebration of 2017 as the “Year of Towers.” At this time, the highest visitor platform in Germany will also be opened to the public, giving visitors a panoramic view from 232 meters above ground.

trend factory CEO Thomas Wenger is looking forward to the event in 2017: „As a local agency, we are especially proud to be associated with the organization of this special event. The opening of the test tower will be a major highlight for the people of Rottweil, who have watched its development closely since the very beginning. We cannot reveal any details yet, but we can promise that it will be a very special event.“

The installation of the tower’s polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fiberglass façade, considered to be the largest project of its kind in the world, is being rescheduled to accommodate an extension of the material test phase. As the façade will play a major part in the tower serving as a unique landmark and architectural milestone for the city of Rottweil, thyssenkrupp Elevator considers it necessary to conduct these extended tests in line with the company’s high standards for quality and long-term reliability. Once this phase is completed, thyssenkrupp is looking forward to celebrating this significant achievement with the people of Rottweil next year.

„The citizens of Rottweil are eagerly anticipating the tower’s completion and the joint opening ceremony with thyssenkrupp. Being successful throughout Germany as well as very familiar with their hometown of Rottweil, we are confident that the trend factory will host a memorable event,“ said Ralf Broß, Mayor of the City of Rottweil. Based on the date of completion the city administration together with thyssenkrupp will define a viable date for the opening ceremonies. „In 2017, we will have an entire year filled with cultural events celebrating our city, so our citizens and guests from near and far can expect to celebrate a true ‘Year of the Towers’.“

About us:
thyssenkrupp Elevator
thyssenkrupp Elevator brings together the Group’s global activities in passenger transportation systems. With sales of 7.2 billion euros in fiscal 2014/2015 and customers in 150 countries, thyssenkrupp Elevator built its position as one of the world’s leading elevator companies from scratch in a mere 40 years’ time applying thyssenkrupp unique engineering capabilities. With more than 50,000 highly skilled employees, the company offers smart and innovative products and services designed to meet customers’ individual requirements. The portfolio includes passenger and freight elevators, escalators and moving walks, passenger boarding bridges, stair and platform lifts as well as tailored service solutions for all products. Over 900 locations around the world provide an extensive sales and service network to guarantee closeness to customers.

thyssenkrupp
thyssenkrupp is a diversified industrial group with traditional strengths in materials and a growing share of capital goods and services businesses. Around 155,000 employees in nearly 80 countries work with passion and technological expertise to develop high-quality products and intelligent industrial processes and services for sustainable progress. Their skills and commitment are the basis of our success. In fiscal year 2014/2015 thyssenkrupp generated sales of around €43 billion.

Together with our customers we develop competitive solutions for the challenges of the future in the areas Mechanical, Plant and Materials. With our engineering expertise we enable our customers to gain an edge in the global market and manufacture innovative products in a cost- and resource-friendly way. For us, technical progress and innovations, allied with the combined strength of the Group, are key factors enabling us to meet current and future customer and market requirements around the world, grow on the markets of the future, and generate strong and stable earnings, cash flows and value growth.